And we are down to just four at our third Major of the season. No surprises really with Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray getting through to the Wimbledon semifinal round, but Richard Gasquet? He’s the outlier in the quartet, but does he realistically have a chance to spoil another Big 4 final?

Novak Djokovic leads Gasquet 11-1, and to make matters that much worse Gasquet is coming off a 3-and-a-half hour 5-set quarterfinal win over Stan Wawrinka. That’s not a good preparation for Djokovic.

After a brief scare in the fourth round courtesy of Kevin Anderson, Djokovic looked extremely good Wednesday against Marin Cilic. And against Gasquet I expect a similar effort. because unlike Anderson who plays big man-type tennis, Gasquet doesn’t have that massive serve so points will go longer allowing Djokovic to find more groove and rhythm.

The Frenchman, though, is playing about as well as he has in a long time. And he’s got some impressive wins this week beating Grigor Dimitrov, Nick Kyrgios and then Wawrinka.

The book on Gasquet is his forehand isn’t that strong and mentally he falls apart. So far, however, the forehand has held up and mentally he’s kept it together, avoiding a “replay” against Kyrgios and fighting through the nerves late in that win over Wawrinka.

The problem is, Djokovic on grass is a much better player than Stan and the head-to-head I think will be too much to overcome.

That said, Gasquet should be playing with house money. He’s got to be happy just to make a semifinal, so anything else from here is a bonus. Therefore, I expect him to unload his deep arsenal of shots and give it a go against the World No. 1. Still, it won’t be enough.The pick: Djokovic in four

No. 2 Roger Federer v No. 3 Andy Murray
The only person playing better than Andy Murray the last few months has been Novak Djokovic. If fact, he’s te only guy to beat the Scot since February.

The Married Murray’s won 25 of 26 matches with wins over guys like Kei Nishikori and Rafael Nadal in Madrid, David Ferrer and Nick Kyrgios at the French, and this week he has wins over Ivo Karlovic and Vasek Pospisil.

Let’s be honest, though, other than the two wins in Madrid, there’s not a whole lot of “wow”.

Federer’s hasn’t had quite the run like Murray, but like his counterpart he’s also undefeated this grass season grabbing Halle for his lead-up title. Federer has recent wins over Tomas Berdych and Stan Wawrinka at Rome, Gael Monfils at the French and on the grass he’s beaten Ivo Karlovic and this week Gilles Simon. So that, too, is a whole lot of “meh”.

Point is, both say they are confident, playing better than ever, all those buzzwords, etc. But in comparing results, I’m cancelling out their resumes. I just think it’s about even in terms of who’s in better form.

The head-to-head similarly tells us it’s quite even at 12-11 for Federer. However, the Swiss has taken the lead winning the last three since Murray’s 2013 surgery.

Murray, of course, beat Federer to win the gold in 2012 just after losing to Roger is a tight 2012 Wimbledon final.

So aside from the humiliation Murray suffered at the 2014 ATP Finals, this is a close call.

For Federer, he’s got to continue to serve well, get to the net and attack. Murray will break his serve, but as long as he’s applying the pressure and converting well he’ll be OK.

For Murray, again serve well, but he has to return well off the second serve and get Roger on the move.

In the end, I just can’t get past Murray 1-13 record vs the Top guys. But I’m going to. I’ll drink the Murray Pimm’s and take him to stop Roger in a classic.The pick: Murray in five

ESPN has live coverage of the Wimbledon men’s semifinals starting at 8am ET.

It’s a tough one to predict. There’s not much certainty in that one except you get the feeling it’s going to be a very nervous, emotional roller coaster affair. Trying to look at reasonably the matchup here I see it as the following:

– Federer advantages:

1. Superior serve.

I don’t rate Fed’s wins so far due to the vastly below par opposition. But what I have impressed with is how solid is serve is. That’s a huge component when in it’s simplest form tennis is a matter of serving and returning. Fed certainly has one aspect on complete lockdown.

2. Mental strength.

Fed seems serene, focused, cool and has the look of a man on mission. I said it an age ago: barring Rafa, he’s the toughest cookie out there mentally for me. And that’s huge. In a match between equals, it usually boils down to who can keep their mind clear, cool and deal with the pressure, deal breaking points best.

With Fed I just feel he has a huge advantage here since we KNOW barring when facing Rafa: Fed can get beat by a better player on a given day, but rarely if ever, does he hand it over on a silver plate.

He does not beat himself and that’s a huge in the biggest matches of our sport.

3. Winning pedigree.

Fed is a winner. It’s his habit. He knows what to do in these matches, since he’s so accustomed to them and used to winning. This is a huge plus since you know he ain’t going to get fazed by the occasion: he’ll relish it.

And he just wins 99% of the times.

Some people in life are nearly mens, the unlucky sod, the bridesmaid. Some are winners. With Fed being a winner: you got to recognize his KILLER INSTINCT for these matches. It’s in his DNA to take care of such matches. That’s going to be a natural confidence booster, doubt eraser for Fed.

– Murray Advantages:

1. Superior return game:

Andy knows he’s got the art of returning mastered and he can consistently apply pressure on Fed’s serve in a manner that Fed has not faced yet till date. He can seriously eat into a part of Fed’s game that must perform excellently if Fed has any chance of winning. The fact that he faced Karlovic and actually did so well bodes quite promisingly for him in this match.

2. Superior physical condition:

Andy is the younger man by 6 years. That’s huge. He’s probably the faster of the 2, certainly you imagine has the superior stamina and in a match many feel will go long: his superior physical condition should be a major advantage against a Federer- let’s be honest- who in recent years has had it tough going in physical battles in Slam matches.

3. He’s in his prime:

This matters quite alot. Andy feels at the peak of his game, whereas Fed is in the Indian Summer stage of his career. Quite obviously there is a vast difference as to how that reflects in your game.

Andy has reached RU, SF in the 2 prior slams this year, whereas Fed has delivered QF, R3. A clear reflection of where they are at in their respective careers, and for many analysts: it’s off no surprise, and quite expected.

So Andy being in his prime, Fed not so much, is something that ought to play in big time when the match is played out since surely Andy’s skill set being at it’s best shall favor him greatly in this one.

The pick?

British bias has me saying Andy, but truthfully speaking I have no real idea and I just believe it shall be tense, nervy and quite close an affair.

Whoever is the victor though shall gain a HUGE confidence boost for the final, but if it’s Federer: he must get the job done in less than 5 sets since we know Andy will get the ball back in play alot of times.

Great post, I agree with you on most of your points. For me though, the X-factor is that I think that Federer at his best is a clear level higher than Murray at his best, and that Fed has another gear that he can reach (which he didn’t need to in any of his matches so far). We have seen several instances of matches, both slam and non-slam, where Fed has taken his game to a higher level against Murray or simply been too good from the start. I think that if he reaches that higher gear, then he will relatively comfortably beat Murray — my guess is 3 or 4 close sets. Murray’s best shot is to make it super physical and hope that Fed isn’t at that highest level.

It is nice brandi to try and reason your way, and it is well said. Amazingly honest and fair towards fed. comming from you he has made impression.
Still your bias cannot keep you from picking Federer. He is on a mission. We have seen it before in TMF years. Sampras years. Agassi AO years. Rafael had it many years but 2005 stick to me. Rafa looked like a the winner in every round.
We have seen it with Cilic.

and now it is Federer but fine to be underdog until final. But it wont even be a close match.

Fed in Four. Interestingly,in the match up between these guys (unlike Nole vs Fed), Fed’s BH doesn’t get pushed by Murray’s BH. Murray has a great back hand but for some reason Fed always plays great BH against Murray. Check AO 2010 or Wimby 2012, or any other smaller tournaments. This is key because Fed’s FH is far dangerous than Murray’s.
While both guys have great grass game, Fed has far more variety and a much better 2nd serve. His net game has seldom been ineffective against Murray. While Murray is a great returner, I haven’t previously seen his returns particularly troubling Roger; and Fed isn’t too shabby of a returner either.
So, given both guys come out with their normal contemporary self, I don’t see Murray taking down Roger here. There will definitely be several break-trades. The fact that Fed had a quick match will also help him tomorrow.

‘I think it is too close to call. If anyone says with any measure of confidence that they truly believe one or the other will go out there and definitely win, they are probably not telling the truth.’

So completely true!

I think the interesting part A Rod touched upon there is the crowd: just who will they favour more? I hope Andy get’s his share of strong support since the truth is Fed is universally popular everywhere, but at the same time had he played a certain player in Spain, or another player in Serbia we fully well know home support will be for Fed’s opponent.

this is a cool info-graphic on the importance of winning the first point – it looks at that from the perspective of both the server and the returner. i think it was done before stan was eliminated though.

I wouldn’t discount person who beat red hot Kyrgios and Wawrinka (forget Dimitrov) and Nole is yet to play his best tennis. His return game is not there yet, his eyes are still wondering and occasionally are just blank, FO lost final is still on his mind, whether people want to see that or not. Forget Cilic match, he is his regular customer.
For me Andy is the favorite as long as he can keep it together in his head, not just against Roger but to win it all, but I am worried about mental part of Andy’s game, particulary when he plays Roger.

RogNadFan,
Like your summary :). Kinda feel the same way. Little worried about Murrays new Lob game though. it can stifle an attacking game like Feds if he uses it wisely and timely. That is something new Murray has been showing in this tourney. Fed? Mentally he doesn’t fear Murray, and Murray knows it. We’ll see!

Had to search high and low for someone tipping Federer. Tipping Federer in 4 tight sets.

Betting sites have Murray at a slim advantage – nearly even, for the most part.

I thought Berdych would get to the semi, then Murray knock him out there. So, I don’t know. Didn’t plan on Federer v Murray. Just picked Murray to win the title and I’m staying with that pick.

But agree with Wog Boy about Nole – he’s not quite there. Not saying he can’t beat Gasquet – probably yes, he can. But if assassin Gasquet shows up, the one that took out Nick Kyrgios, maybe not. Gasquet appears in better shape than ever. 3.5 hours is not terrible for a five set match.

I haven’t had the pleasure of getting A-Rod as a commentator yet. Don’t know if I ever will! But would like to. I always appreciated the way he took it to the reporters in his pressers….he was very funny!!

jalep,
Nole said that Gaquet is fitter than ever since he was working really hard on his fitness last six months, his team identified that as major problem and worked hard to improve it, so I agree, five setter with Stan won’t affect Gasquet game. To prove the point, Stan was the one who blinked first at the end of the match, those double faults, netted points and shanked one were direct result of tiredness and Gasquet looked as fresh as daisy.

i love steve flink wog boy!! he actually writes objectively – which i find to be **incredibly** rare in tennis coverage. in fact, it’s quite easy to identify who supports whom after reading their work for a while. but besides that, flink’s articles have minutely detailed match analysis that can make you feel as though you’ve actually watched a match that you haven’t after reading them. thanks for sharing that video – i don’t think i had ever seen him before!

so far i have enjoyed roddick’s commentary very much, and, as i suspected, there was utterly no problem with his commentary during nole’s match; indeed, he praised him effusively, as noted by this reporter from si.com

Courtney Nguyen ‏@FortyDeuceTwits Jul 8
Seriously though, the respect Roddick has for Novak’s game is off the charts. And Murray’s professionalism/ethic. Running themes all day.

skeezer,
Thanks. My thought exactly on the Lob. Just slipped out of my mind while posting.

I don’t know if there is a stat like this but that match made me think, Murray might have set a record of most lobs made against Karlovic in a single match. And I only watched the highlights.
Man he lobbed Dr. Evo again and again as if he was Olivier Rochus. No offense to Rochus tho.

But then again Fed will volley more smartly than Karlovic. Like the drop volley that stole a set from Murray in 2012, one of my favorite points ever in tennis.

Really good point on the lob, Skeeze. I think that would have been more of a problem a few years ago when Fed’s net game was not as precise, but since the Edberg impact, he gets much more clean winners on first volley. Then again, with Murray’s defense…. I’m sure we’ll see it play out. Can’t wait for this match.

Its funny the psychology of fans: many fans will swear by their players in any match and mock those who think the opponent has a chance. Other fans seem scared to jinx their favourites and declare them the underdog no matter how obviously untrue (or how the bookies see it).

Considering they just played in Paris and Nole rolled, I think Gasquet’s chances are slim. His serve is a weakness and he can get bossed around the court if he gets into a rally. Even w/ that beautiful backhand, he doesn’t have those point ending winners. His game plan against Stan won’t work w/ Novak so I’ll be interested to see if he does try to switch it up.

Like so many others here have said, Murray/Fed is almost too close to call. Roger might have the mental edge by winning their last three matches, but Andy did push Novak at the French unlike ever before, so any intimidation factor might be gone. Sean did point out that neither of them has had any signature wins recently, even though they’ve been playing well. I really think it’s going to be an Andy crowd b/c he had a disappointing Wimby last year and they want him in the final. Fed always has his devotees, but this is such a unique sporting even in England. I should know after believing for so long that Henman would win, and feeling crushed every year.

Wish we could hear Roddick’s commentary, I always thought he was made for it. Unfortunately, his deal w/ Fox means he can’t commentate for the other networks in the US, but I hope we hear him over here at some point.

Roger Vs Andy as many others have said and I repeat is a very tough one to call. Both are playing their best Tennis out there and Roger at 33 is still looking energetic, fit, fresh and raring to go. His foot movement is exquisite and is a Mozart on Court. So far, he has been serving quite well in this tournament. This is 10th semi final and nearing 34, not many in the past as well as present can vie for such honours like Roger who is pristine with glory.

As regards Andy, he is also playing producing some of the best Grass court exhibition out there and he is looking so much composed, confident and enthusiastic on court. In this tournament, he is also not doing the familiar antics that he is notorious for and is overly concentrated on the task on hand.

So, this must be a classic in my opinion, and to pick the winner is merely head scratching and just a futile exercise. I would say it is 50:50 and all depends on how they play on this particular day. Moreover, the weather might also hold some pointers to the outcome. If the roofs are closed, then Roger will fancy his chances even more !!

Neither you nor me are saying that Gasquet is favorite or better player just that Nole is not 100% and if Gasquet fires up he can ambush Nole, exactly the way Anderson did before Nole got lucky and Anderson chocked, how many of those posters who thinks that it is only their opinion that matters predicted that? Nole was well on the way to Monaco in fourth round. Two days ago it was announced that Nole is not QF of DC Argentine next week. If you decide not play just week before QF it is not rocket science to conclude that Nole had enough of tennis this year and wants break. He is playing on reserve and is evident for everyone that follows him but the fans of certain one. We all know how much playing for Serbia means to him and if he decided not play in one such important QF that he was looking forward to play means only one thing, he is mentally exhausted, FO took it’s toll, but I’ll leave to those who know better about the player they don’t even follow or like to have their opinion as only valid one.

DC captain announced team two days ago and Nole is not playing, not even flying to be with team. The only thing I don’t get ia why they didn’t wait until the end of Wimbledon campaign, this way they just put extra pressure on Nole, here is the link, I’ll translate the title for you, “Serbia without Djokovic against Argentine”:

The key to the match will be Fed’s serve and Andy’s ROS. Andy has faced two excellent servers this tournament but Fed hasn’t faced anyone near Andy’s calibre. Simon shou;d’ve been, but as far as I can gather he was a no show. I didn’t see the match.
My biggest worry is that Andy’s shoulder is still strapped because if his FSP goes below 50, he will lose.
I’m not sure stats for just Wimbledon have much relevance tbh. It depends on the quality of your opponents surely. And, as the grass season is so short, overall ranking is pretty irrelevant too.
Over the year so far? Over grass as a whole? Possibly, but even then?
@Brando
Roddick is TERRIFIC. Get him and Tracy Austin on and sack all the other numpties, especially Castle!

but by far most irritating BBC commentator is that new anker lady. Where did she came from. I saw her once presenting some horse show/also country style putting sheeps behind fences!!! WTF was that?
you crazy Britts. She also used to commentating on outdoor bowling….

And I said they surely never will give her a real sporting assignment like MOTD or god forbid wimbledon. So look what they did to my boy! They massacared him.

What the F is she all about? she never ever let her guest speak out and switches subjects like electricity switches in her head.
Even Johnny Mac cant handle her.

margot, yes, that’s a good point about opponents, and i have thought, too, that andy’s return game might be a rude awakening for fed. i read somewhere that querrey was the opponent who got the most returns in play vs fed and it was only about 27%. i am certain andy will get way more back – he is the top or one of the top first serve returners on the year. fed’s obviously serving really well, but it’ll be interesting to see if that stays that way tmrw.

It is because federer is serving like his prime. During his prime, it was one of the hardest thing to break federer serve espcially if the game is deciding one. After a long time, he is showing similar quality.

I think murray will return it but those return will be weak and federer will pounce on those.

Further to add, in his prime Federer will never loose badly against Cilic or Wawa.
Because earlier if federer meet some hot guy, he will atleast win his games and force the tie breakers which any body can win. Or match is competitive not unlike these one sided losses.

But this wimbledon he is becoming like old self, and against murray he does not have any mental issues also. I think if first set Federer wins, it may be a one sided match only.

I am quite suprised to see people here are dismissing gasquet chances as if he is a rookie.
He is in the semis and is there for a reason.
He defeated dangerous nick, dimitrov and the Roland garoos champion STAN.
Against Djoko its always a mental thing for him but he is quite confident right now and I think he is going to give Novak a run for his money.
His all court game is working quite well and his backhand could very well trouble Novak because its GRASS.
Its no clay where Novak could dictate from the back of the court.
This match will go to the wire. Novak still have 60-40 chance though but don’t count rasquet out.

Roger vs Murray is going to be a cracker. But I would give roger an edge. He is serving the best I have seen him serve after a Longg time.
Its 55-45 in roger’s favour.

Hi Jatin glad your here,i think as somebody said Richie hasnt beaten Novak for 8 years,which is as close as you can get to a Serena/Sharapova type of ownage sorry to say,so it doesnt bode well,Jaleps a Novak fan and she said she would like to see Richie win Wimbledon,and i think it would be amazing to see him make a GS final,and he does play beautiful tennis,i just dont see where in his game that he could hurt Novak though TBH….

Hippy
I understand what you are saying but by novak’a own words this Richard is a lot fitter and better than he ever has been.
Lets see how it goes.
I am so much excited for the semis. Aren’t you ??
:)

`For me though, the X-factor is that I think that Federer at his best is a clear level higher than Murray at his best, and that Fed has another gear that he can reach (which he didn’t need to in any of his matches so far)…`

Oh yes!
blah, blah, blah!
Indeed Fedlings, and his one 250 tournament and singular 500 Halle win against Seppi this year is surely testament to all of that!
It’s up to Murray to play at HIS best as this match is on HIS raquet
Federer will win only if Andy fails to do this.

Jatin yeah true,and definetly sooo excited cant wait,two years ago i watched the mens final and i couldnt barely stand afterwards,my legs had turned to mush and i felt sick afterwards,the ladies and gents in the care home where i work were all late for tea as they were watching it although i was on holiday,all over the country they were watching it,at a Paul Young concert he anounced Murray had won Wimbledon and the crowd all cheered saw it on you tube amongst others,it was a really special day,my heart wont stand it but i hope he can do it again it was a great day,i cried buckets afterwards,still do when i watch the repeats ha ha….

You obviously didn’t see Shanghai 2012 then!
Fed has been serving very well but is yet to face anyone that could return
Even if he does get through Novak it is all for nought as Djokovic will stamp on him!

It was indeed special hippy. But I Never knew you were such a fan of Andy. Fascinating to hear your story.
Unfortunately one has to lose today. Either your fav or mine. I would like Andy to win it all ( If not Roger obviously). Hope we will witness something special.

I’m confident Djokovic will win. Not sure about Federer/Murray but I tend to favor Murray for the win. And as I said that, I thought about his serve which looks suspect. So??? Still Murray by a slim margin.

I don’t hate Roger at all.
I think he can be very arrogant however and he is the reason that some of his fans are, well, NUTS.
Some of them, not all of them (but quite a few)
And my criticisms of Roger’s game at this moment are based on facts
If you can’t handle that then too bad for you.
According to your average fed fan here Andy doesn’t have a chance against a 34 year old who got dumped out
of the last 2 slams in the third rnd against a journeyman and quarters in straight sets
Because Andy is `passive` and doesn’t have the `levels` of the TMF, there’s no chance.
Yes against a player who is fit and hasn’t even won a masters this year!
The only reason he has had better recent results against Andy in my view is because of Andy’s return from surgery and getting to peak was long and arduous.
Now I believe he is back and maybe better than before.
He’ll save it for now but the signs are there
Could fed win?
Of course as someone said it’s sport
and Roger is a big match player who might have one of his last great days.
But, my word, unless Andy completely screws up you’re all in for a rude awakening this evening!

I agree, there are a few naïve comments from ultra Fed fans that dismissed Andy’s chances whatsoever, which I think is ridiculous, so ignore them as all the other moderate Fed fans do,lol.

I think Roddick said it best and I quote him again here: ‘If anyone says with any measure of confidence that they truly believe one or the other will go out there and definitely win, they are probably not telling the truth.’

Jatin thanks,Andy is my second favorite after Rafa,dont hate me please,but Roger was actually my favorite till i saw Rafa,then i went over to the dark side pure sacrilege some would think lol,previously it was Andre and Pat,love Nihikori,Delpo,and i have to say im becoming quite a fan of Stan now,but i still have enormous respect for Rogers achievements,and what Noles doing now is remarkable,nice chatting to you,enjoy both games ;)….

Djoko is having a remarkable run since Beijing last year. He only lost to Federer twice (Shangai semis and Dubai final), to Karlovic in Doha (only 250 tourney) and Wawa in RG final.

If he wins Wimbledon (50-50 now), one of the 2 North America Masters and US Open, he will have the greatest 12 months of tennis in Open era with 3 Slams, the other Slam final, WTF and 6 Masters titles.

Although he lost more this year compared to 2011 he has 3 Slams finals and if he wins Wimbledon he will have 2 titles this year and a final. In 2011 he lost semis.
Also the last time he lost before final was n Doha in January (insignificant 250 to Karlovic) and in a important tournament was to Federer in Shangai last year, as he won Paris and WTF after.
So this makes 9 Big tournaments finals in a row (5 Masters, WTF and 3 Slams), impressive!!

I agree, he could play better, but I didn’t felt Gasket had any chance of winning this at all, after 2-2 tiebreak all possible doubts were off and certainty Djoko would win easily, as it is the case.

We still have to see Fed and Murray level, they can play an bad match.

But even so, Djoko arrives in the final with back to back 3 setters and we can count the last 3 he won convincingly against Anderson, so its 9 sets in a row to reach the final, and once there we know he can produce his best.

Jatin,
Honestly a toss up. Would love to see Fed win, but in the bigger picture don’t want to see these guys gassed at the final with Nole. But probably not going to happen. Murray has a history(little) of gassing out in long matches. Fed is old (er). Hopefully its a beat down in 3 or 4 either way.

I think Fed or Murray will have a shot in the finals, but as we move from surface to surface over the last 12 months Novak has had a stranglehold on the top- all others are fighting for the 2nd spot in any tournament finals.

Props to Gasquet. Maybe the example of Stan and yes, though he is still birdshit Berdy,Tomas improving has set an example to players like Richard that it is never too late to make a big run into Top 5 contention, threatening to, or taking, Masters 1000s and Slams.

And I agree with other posters that have said that Becker has given one of the already great complete players, Nole, who is also adept on all surfaces…extra strengths.
When Djokovic started seriously prepping for the Pros at Pilic’s Academy, he was a teen on a mission – success would mean repayment of his family’s debts and his path to success correctly cast him as a speedy baseliner who didn’t need a top serve or excellent net skill development. So they were not priorities at first.
There was also a need to economize – as without youth sponsors, he missed a few seasons, many development tournaments. Shoveled snow, hung out with family in bomb shelters, waited tables, was in regular school classes at times. (Of course he was able to meet his future wife that way, become a fine student with high university potential if injury ended tennis, and do some serious skiing…)

But now, Djokovic has the resources, the right team and has taken up the challenge of getting an even better serve and becoming a dangerous net player. And it is working. Boris Becker gives him confidence when he tells Nole that he has all the gifts to be one of the best servers, a dangerous man at net. And points to the fact that if Djokovic gets those skills nailed, he just might have as long a career at the Top as Fed has had. And Novak Djokovic really likes playing tennis and being the best for as long as he can possibly be – so he is very coachable in this.

calmdownplease – 50-50 is about right. While Britain at a common man level will be solid behind Andy, the commoner is not the typical marquee event Wimbledon ticketholder of substantial means. The very wealthy have always been behind their White Knight, Roger of the Beautiful Backhand….

This is the way a slam is supposed end…..two of the top four in the finals! Will it be #1 and 2 or 1 and 3?? We will soon see!! Should be a cracker!! Can’t wait……C’MON ANDY and Margot, Chick remain calm. Jane, be a brave girl…..no hiding! Andy is very capable of winning this one. Playing very good……and so is Roger. I think it’s gonna be too close to call, however!

I think Fed is playing better this year than last year, but Djoko is more confident this year. He served some aces and big serves down BP today as last year he was more “tense” due to his latest Slams losses.
But this is Wimbledon and Federer always had a shot in a final, the only 2 times he lost it was in 5 sets and the winner almost choked victory, Nadal had MP in set 4 and Djoko had a MP in set 4 as well, and fifth set in both cases were 9-7 and 6-4, not gimme.

Murray, on paper could well have a better chance against Novak, but with the 0-8 in the back of my mind I can’t stop thinking than even if he play 2 great sets as usual against Novak he could be roll over in last sets, something I just can’t see happening to Federer on grass. This time Novak is rested after an easy not draining mentally match.

The next one could take something out of the winner depending on how it goes.
As much as some don’t like to consider this, tuff matches drain you.

regarding the other semi, i thought novak played a bad first set but got aways with it anyway, and then pulled away in the tiebreak. he loosened up and played better the next 2 sets, especially with clutch serving and some nice volleys. richard played well in general; however, he could’ve stepped in more at times. he got away with that with stan, too i thought, i.e., being way behind the baseline. and that’s largely because stan hates to come to net. i like that gasquet kept fighting and made nole serve it out. on another note, i wonder if novak jammed his shoulder when he fell in set one? he says it’s nothing serious so will take his word for it. think he’ll have to raise his game considerably to beat murray or fed.

speaking of which, it’s been a while since we saw a murray/fed match; looking forward to it!

Squirrel urgh no,gotta disagree there sorry,and yeah i love football too,TH had such silky skills and made football look effortless,and has a sexy voice,DB as Daniel says has an awfull voice,and sounds like mickey mouse when he talks,anyway i digress this is a great contest so far not much to decide between the two so far….

First set Federer!! Yayy!!! My heart stopped for on sec over there. Murray just made a few mistakes, like everyone’s been saying, just one or two points to decide the match. But still, the match is not over..

2 bad net points: one by fed on a slow-mo approach, and Andy with the down-the-line pass, and then one by Andy to get broken and lose the set. But I thought Fed returned really well that game and Andy served a little tentatively, getting himself in a hole. Still early though.

Squirrel Federer is playing out of his mind ATM,Andy isnt doing much wrong one or two points here or there where Federer has played that bit better,i will pull for him in the final if he wins this match,no axe to grind and dont care about the GOAT debate….

Squirrel thanks lol,you just made a 47 year old woman very happy,DB is a nice looking guy dont get me wrong,and he has a nice body,but i just find him overated,so definetly TH all the way lol thanks again BTW Hugh Jackman knocks spots of both,the hottest man alive IMO….

NOTE:Playing Simon(a DOUBLE HANDED BASELINER) in Qf was also good prep before Murray.Only
a MONUMENTAL Tanking from(Eg:La TANKRINKA or CHOCKRINKA if U will)Roger can Murray be
assured of berth in the FINAL !!
July 9th, 2015 at 10:03 am

Meant to congratulate Nole and fans on making the final Jane,Mat4,Wogboy,Courbon,Harry etc,i think he will win the title now,as well as Federers played so far this tournament i cant see him taking 3 sets of Novak….

Too good from Federer. I don’t think I’ve seen him play better a top player a slam since FO 2011. For him right now its all about self maintenance right now as should he keep this level up: 18 is bagged!

CDP, ref Fed’s level, RG 2011 against Novak and Wimby 2012 against Novak as well hw was serving great in that Wimby match as well.

Taking Slams aside, the London match against Nadal where he won 3 and 0 he was also playing better than now.

He is serving great all the grass season and was only broken once in 11 matches so far, by Simon in a off 0-40 game.

Some thought Murray would break him for sure today but that is not the case so far, whereas we know Murray will get broken by top players because he always have some service games where he gives too many seconds.

Thanks Van Orton i just feel its only fair as i would root for the player that i believe is the best player on this surface,and the player i believe has played the best tennis of the two in the final,should in all likelihood Federer get there now….

Congrats (nice) Fed fans.
He played like a monster but I doubt he’ll ever play a match like that again
But if he did it one more time tomorrow…
I’m off to eat my humble pie (Im quite hungry too)
peace
lol

Fed 2 good 2day. Well played. Congrats to him and his fans.
First serve % 77. Astonishing. But his ROS was excellent too.
Wish Andy hadn’t elected to receive tho. Idiot. Made extra pressure at the end of every set.
Doubt if it would have made any difference, however.

Straight sets win for Federer. He broke Murray at the end of all 3 sets to win. If you compare Murray’s results from the 6-0, 6-1 drubbing in November, this was light years better. Federer is a master on grass.

===========
Best RETURNER is Djokovic. Though Andy is far better than average.
But even with Nole’s ROS, I think he, Marian and Boris are going to be looking at getting some practice time in with a hot serving partner tomorrow and looking at the price Andy paid for not being aggressive when he could be aggressive.

Meanwhile, Fed has some cause for concern and a coach that will not allow Fed to be arrogant. Djokovic’s serve is much better than last year when Fed couldn’t break him, Nole’s net play has become a strength. So all Fed’s past glory does not change that he faces a #1 player who wants a win just as much as Fed does.

Now will you calm down please with the Fed is gonna lose stuff? Headlines….he won.
—–
Commersations to Margot. Good news is Andy is back in superb form :(.
—
Never seen Fed plaed otherworldly like. I mean since his 2004-07 days. Amazing. Somebody better check his ID for age.
These guys were serving well, hitting out, amazing stuff on both sides, small margins, could of went either way, but Fed was not going to be denied this day.
My hopes came true, the match went 3 sets, so I like Feds chances now in the Final. IF he played like today he is going to win no doubt,

Well I wanted Andy to win this but I’ll take a win by Fed as a consolation prize any day. Still bummed that they were both in the same half as I was hoping for those two in the final. I hope Fed keeps up his high level on Sunday.

BTW, I was listening to the BBC stream and gotta say that Andy Roddick is a pretty good commentator. I appreciate that he doesn’t chatter nonstop like some others (*cough* John McEnroe *cough*).

Don’t know Jeez, Djoko doesn’t socialite mentally as Murray does, is more aggressive and still has the defense and counterpunch. Pus seems Djoko is better at returning Fed’s serve than Andy, but let’s see if Fed keeps this level of serve.

Fed peaked just the right time, in semis and hope finals, as he used to do so well in his hey days. No hiccup whatsoever this grass season.

Djoko still doesn’t look like he is in his absolute best and maybe that could be the difference. If we look back, Fed lost just 1 set, in a tiebreak, beat the other in form grass player convincingly so he should be the best player this tourney. But Fed is about to turn 34, that is amazing and if Djoko makes him play more balls, return more he can tire him more.

The forecast is too be another exceptional final and I won’t expect anything less from Fed and Djoko. May the best man win!

Congrats to Federer! What a performance, especially on serve and also on the return, playing the kind of tennis that made him famous. 10th Wimbledon final and the oldest man to play for the title since Rosewall 41 years ago, hope he can win that 8th title! C’mon Roger!

Commiserations to the Murray fans. He played great, just not quite enough at crunch time in each set. Federer is Federer, and he had just a little bit more when it mattered.

TV,
Yeah am watching those highlights also. Friggin amazing stuff on both sides. Did you see that BH crosscourt high flick winner by Fed? Geeezzz how do you hit THAT?
Have yet to study the stats, but If Fed ever played a perfect match, this was it.

He played not only great but superb the big points. Playing outworldly will only help if they do so on the important couple of points per set that will make the difference. Fed and djoker know that …
dream final in the year 2015 . Wow

I think on this surface its Federers best chance at number 18,sorry meant to congratulate Squirrel too,and thanks for the picture BTW LOL,enjoy Sundays final,no horse in the race,but pulling for Fed due to the reasons i stated to Van Orton….

BAD NEWS for Fed?Federer on Djokovic final: “Can I beat him? We’ll find out. I’m not sure. ” That’s HUGE for me. Confidence and self belief is everything. Fed struggles v rafa, why? Mental issues. Versus Andy today he played like a beast, why? Skeezer got it right prematch: he does not fear Andy at all. Hence: aggression on serve, returns and very, very relaxed on court. I think federers chances depend on his mental state: does he BELIEVE deep down he can beat novak today in a slam? Stan did and he won when he was heavy underdog. IF Fed believes, then should he perform like this he shall win. He has chance but he has to believe he can beat novak.

Not going to say Fed will win, but he made his chances a whole lot better by getting off the court quicker than the Gas/Nole semi-final match…..
—
Jeez,
Fed haters have been trying to create ways to diminish his career to no avail. Weak era, H2H, Arrogant, etc, etc. He answers by being in another Wimbledon final at the soon to be age of 34!
Winning is the very best silencer.

I think it all depends on how one arrives at the finals. There’s no question NOvack is the better player, and will win. The only reason he could not win is if some”unforeseen” event happens that puts some sort of undue pressure on Novack.

Tennis Vagabond True,but it used to irritate the hell out of me when Dave used to repeat over and over again how 1 dimensional Rafa was even though he had been in 5 W finals and won two,OK fair enough hes now crap on grass and everywhere else ATM,but in the past hes been pretty great on grass too,so why do we use one standard for one player and another for another player,which is what i find unfair?….

And can we put to bed “this is Novak’s worst surface”? He’s now made his third Wimbledon final, and he’s 2-0 so far.
We should all be so bad at something!

====================
Truth is that this would be Nole’s worst surface, if he has a worst surface.
But I don’t think he really has a “worst surface”. Like Federer, Nole is a true all court player.

Only Nadal’s dominance over Fed obscured that Roger was the 2nd best clay courter in his era, until Nole reached full form.
Most people think over that career, Fed was a better grass player than Novak. But that was then. In the here and now, edge to Djokovic on age and speed..

What has happened to Rafa’s grass game is one of the great mysteries of tennis. Discount this year, as Rafa has struggled everywhere, but I just don’t understand how a player can go from 5 straight Wimbledon finals to 4 straight losses to players outside top 100.

Tennis Vagabond thankyou so much for the feedback,that was all i wanted was for him to be given credit for past achievements after all it all counts towards his legacy,and yes its a mystery as to why he went from one very high extreem to the other very low extreem beggars belief,your a very fair poster that unlike some see things from all angles with great perspective,arguably one of the best posters here,thanks again….

it’s novak’s 4th wimbledon final actually. he also tied borg in a couple ways over this fortnight: reached 7th semi, 6th semi consecutively, and completed his 51st match wins on the lawns. not too shabby.

I think Rafa’s shocking turnaround on grass has to do with the relationship between his game and the way the courts change over the two weeks.

Let’s not forget that Rafa was in very hot water many times in earlier rounds during his period of Wimbledon success. I’m not throwing shade, just stating a fact: there were years when Rafa made the final after being just a few points away from losing to some never-ran in the second round.

So what’s changed might be very simple–Rafa’s game has declined a bit, maybe 5%, maybe 10%, whatever, and it’s been enough to have him losing those matches instead of winning them.

But the real point here is that the Wimbledon courts change so much over the course of the first four or five rounds that by the time Rafa had to play top-20 players, he was in something more like his element–the comparatively slower dirt of the worn-out Wimbledon courts, not the fast, bouncy grass of the first few days.

Hi all,
As my prediction for this match comes right, if you have read my earlier post.
I will do the prediction for final also with reasoning.
1. Novak is not playing as well as andy is playing so Federer got plus point there.
2. Novak is better in serving at crucial points than andy mean andy serve is easy to break as compare to Novak so one plus point to Novak.
3. Novak always play finals defensively and he pays the price for it also. even last year he was about to loose the final from winning position. If he again decides to play defensively then match will be over in four sets with federer win. if he decides to play aggressive tennis then he will win in five sets.

I would say match is on Djokovic racquet but as history shows he play defensively and wait for opponents error especially in grand slam finals Federer will win.

Eric, good theory, but not sure it makes sense. The baseline changes tremendously, and that impacts movement. The court surface itself, where the ball bounces, barely changes. But in the absence of a better theory, I’ll take it.

Actually, I think every Fed fan I’ve read comments from, myself included, view this entire stage of Fed’s career as bonus territory. I don’t think there’s really much stress among Fed’s fans. If he loses in the Wimbledon finals at almost 34 to the top player of this era (as Fed said post-match), this is a good tournament for us.

Fred’s arrogant to intimidate bitter sad muppets such as roddick and john mcenroe.
Andy rodd has money to burn for his master because fred & he cry hysterically for half an hour and won’t forget novak.
After all, arodd quit so many matches and choked countless sets and matches away; he has to downplay djokerdal’s success to propagandize fred.

What? 80 yr. old Fred lost 24 times to a prime 28 year old? who?
Don’t be scared!

Just had the feeling that federer had studied murray s game hard. Hard and this made him even hungrier today.seriously, his shots were unbelievable. They pretty much landed where he wanted them too. He has played unbelievable consistent high level high accuracy shots today.

Andy roddick was fabulous on wimbledon tonight., what a knowledgeable, funny, intuitive commentator he is. Fast talking but totally immersed in the game, and someone who talks sense! Bring him back for next year please BBC!!!

It was monstrous display by Roger literally destroying the home grown man leaving the native audience stunned !!

I too was pleasantly surprised or even shocked at the way he played ? Simply breath taking tennis. Not many gave Roger a chance before the match but he always finds a way to silence his critics and those who are under the delusion that he is over rated. Remember, he is almost 34 and will you get that feeling when you watch him his impeccable and imperious foot work. You never see him lose his balance in court like you even see Novak often losing his balance when chasing balls. Now he is in his 10th final and proved that he is the GREATEST grass court player to have ever played the game !!

Tough luck to Andy. He caught up with Roger on a day when he would ransack any opponent. The intriguing thing was that Andy too was playing his very best and yet got butchered on court leaving him clueless. Have you ever seen Andy serving such a high first serve percentage at 74% – Very rarely. He was simply outclassed and he had to acknowledge that to Roger during the customary hand shake !!